Resolved 2 fish and 1 invert dead, the rest are breathing very heavily. Please healp.

Same here.



Magnus, any updates?

 

Ok, here's the update:

Ph dropped to from 8.4 last night to 7.2
Amonia 0
nitrite 0
nitrate 0.25
Salinity 1.027
Water temp 80F

I turned my 2 power head bubbles all the way up, dropped 2 bubble bars (don't know how to call them, aireators?) and hooked the pump up and moved my koralia 4 closer to the top. I searched a little and it does look like oxygen deprivation. I bought some distilled water and will take some of the salt water out soon and add about 4 gallons of distilled water to help salinity. I don't have any RO or saltwater handy since my LFS are closed (

Any other ideas?

I turned the lighs off.

 

I don't have anemones.

I'm starting to believe that turning the air off from the pump was a very bad idea. My lemonpeel has been refusing food for 3 days and he's been hiding in one spot since then. Same spot I found him dead today.

I can't believe how big of a mistake I made!! I'm such a newb!!! I want to

GUys, thank you so much for the advice. Keep the suggestions coming.

Could I add filtered tap water as an emergency to help with anything?

I have a brita filter

 

I'd advise from ever covering the top of the tank. It traps in CO2 and keeps oxygen out. Run a saltwater tank with egg crate on top if you're worried about fishes jumping. You don't need to keep airs stones in the tank. Just make sure there is enough agitation at the surface of the water and keep that lid off!!

On the water, I'd steer clear from tap. You'd need more than a brita filter. You need a dechlorinator and be sure that your plumbing isn't old and using copper or other metals that would leach into the water. Make sure the distilled water you use is copper free as well because there are some old water distilling plants that still use copper.

Also, try to slowly bring the salinity down. Don't do it all at once or you'll shock your already traumatized fish.

 

The PH drop is the most alarming thing I've seen out of your posts and this can be a result of CO2 buildup.

I agree with what others have already said about lids. Until you turned your air pump off you were pumping air in and displacing CO2, but when you turned it off there was CO2 buildup (which caused the PH drop). If you've got an open sump then a lid is ok since you get CO2 exchange in the sump. If you don't then you need an open tank.

 

I put the tops on because it helps reduce a lot the evaporation and some of the noise, but it has an opened slack in the back of it. my inverts are all crazy and moving all over the tank now, when they were really still when I got home earlier. Clown fishes are starting to breathe more normal it looks. And the fire blenny (new guy I didn't have when I posted the live stock on the thread that was linked earlier) is hiding, so I can't really tell about him.

If the oxygen deprivation is the reason the lemon peel died, she's going to kill me his slime coat was completely absent though, so I'm thinking he was already sick and this actually helped make it even worse for him

He has been acting weird for the last 3 days or so. Hiding in one spot, and barely coming out, when he used to swim all over the tank at the beginning.

What a sad day.

 

I will leave it open. I just started to buy the things to build my sump.

I was so proud of myself for figuring all the chemistry out and everything. I feel stupid and very, VERY guilty

 

Don't beat yourself up, everyone makes mistakes. It sounds like lemonpeel angel was already sick.

 

First off, don't feel guilty. It happens. I've been in this hobby for more than twenty years and I still have "WTF WAS I THINKING!?!" moments. One of them cost me almost all the inhabitants (corals and all) of one of my reef tanks. I was depressed for a long time over that one.

All I can tell you is this:

Don't do anything to change your tank without thinking through all the possible outcomes.

One semi-related note:

For a sump, if you're not really concerned about having anything than a true sump (e.g. just a tank under your main for placing protein skimmer, etc.) then you can save some $$ by going to Glass Cages and buying one of their standard sized acrylic aquariums. They don't look great, but are solid and do the trick for a sump. I used a 20g for my fuge (will be getting a bigger one for my new bigger tank). A 20g long would probably fit under your 55g (validate the front-to-back dimension) and only costs $74, which ain't bad.

 

I bought the 20 gallon tall tank without knowing I needed a long one instead. Now I found a design where I can use this tank to make a sump/fuge. Small, but apparently effective.

Here's the link the the post, I would appreciate any advice on that. Steve wright has been helping me with this a lot.

http://www.3reef.com/forums/800653-post47.html

Thanks for all your help guys, you're awesome. I don't know what I would do without all of you.

I really appreciate it.

Lots of karma to the people that's been helping me all along!

- Magnus.